“Childish” Cristiano Ronaldo Now Has 10 More Red Cards Than Lionel Messi — and the Same Number as Joey Barton

Cristiano Ronaldo threw an elbow and then a tantrum during Portugal’s shock 2-0 defeat by Ireland on Thursday night.

A win for Portugal in Dublin would have sealed their place in December’s draw for the 2026 World Cup — which Ronaldo recently confirmed would be his last.

Portugal will still qualify this week as long as they beat Armenia on Sunday, but Ronaldo will be suspended for that match after being sent off against Ireland.

Why was Cristiano Ronaldo sent off against Ireland?

Ronaldo was dismissed just after the hour mark following an off-the-ball incident involving Dara O’Shea inside the penalty area. As play continued, Ronaldo swung his elbow into the defender, prompting an immediate yellow card from the referee.

VAR then recommended an on-field review. After watching the replay, the referee upgraded the caution to a straight red for violent conduct. It was the first red card of Ronaldo’s 226-cap international career.

After being dismissed, Ronaldo clashed with Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson on his way off the pitch. The Portugal captain sarcastically applauded the home crowd, then exchanged words with Hallgrimsson in a brief but heated touchline confrontation.

According to Hallgrimsson, Ronaldo “complimented” him on having spoken about refereeing decisions before the match, with the Irish boss joking that he might have “got into his head”. Hallgrimsson said: “It was his action on the pitch that cost him the red card… this was just a moment of a little silliness from him.”

Ronaldo’s frustration had already been visible throughout the match, but his reaction to the dismissal and his theatrical exit added another layer to what was a dramatic and damaging night for Portugal.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo be suspended at the World Cup after his latest red card?

Ronaldo will certainly miss Portugal’s final World Cup qualifier following Thursday’s red card – and his punishment could be even more severe.

Straight red cards from World Cup qualifiers can carry over into the tournament itself, while FIFA’s disciplinary guidelines state that violent conduct can result in a suspension of up to three matches.

A three-match ban would see Ronaldo ruled out for Portugal’s first two group games at the biggest World Cup in FIFA history. That could severely dent Ronaldo’s hopes of enhancing his haul of World Cup records.

Cristiano Ronaldo branded “childish” after Dublin meltdown

Ronaldo’s reaction to his red card against Ireland caused an immediate storm on social media, where the word “childish” appeared repeatedly alongside his name in posts from supporters around the world.

One fan wrote bluntly: “I love Ronaldo to death but what he did today was unbelievably childish.”

Another tweeted: “You will never see Messi acting like this… why is Cristiano Ronaldo so childish?”

A third added: “Ronaldo let himself down badly there, embarrassing and childish.”

An Ireland supporter went even further, writing: “They might need to invent a new word for how petulant and childish Ronaldo is.”

How many red cards has Cristiano Ronaldo received in his entire career?

While the dismissal against Ireland was Ronaldo’s first red card for Portugal, he has now been sent off 13 times in senior football.

He had previously seen red four times during his Manchester United career, six times while playing for Real Madrid and once each in the colours of Juventus and Al-Nassr.

Of the 13 games in which Ronaldo has been sent off, his team has failed to win six of them. It is perhaps unsurprising that a player who has won countless trophies and scored more goals than anyone else in history is such a terrible loser.

Full list of Cristiano Ronaldo’s red cards

Date	Result	Minute	Reason
15 May 2004	Aston Villa 0–2 MAN UTD	85′	Two yellows
14 Jan 2006	Man City 3–1 MAN UTD	66′	Serious foul play
15 Aug 2007	Portsmouth 1–1 MAN UTD	85′	Violent conduct
30 Nov 2008	Man City 0–1 MAN UTD	68′	Two yellows
5 Dec 2009	REAL MADRID 4–2 Almeria	87′	Two yellows
24 Jan 2010	REAL MADRID 2–0 Malaga	70′	Violent conduct
17 May 2013	Atletico 2–1 REAL MADRID (AET)	115′	Violent conduct
2 Feb 2014	Athletic Club 1–1 REAL MADRID	75′	Violent conduct
24 Jan 2015	Cordoba 1–2 REAL MADRID	83′	Serious foul play
13 Aug 2017	Barcelona 1–3 REAL MADRID	82′	Two yellows
19 Sep 2018	Valencia 0–2 JUVENTUS	29′	Violent conduct
8 Apr 2024	Al Hilal 2–1 AL NASSR	86′	Violent conduct
13 Nov 2025	Ireland 2–0 PORTUGAL	61′	Violent conduct

How many red cards does Lionel Messi have?

Cristiano Ronaldo has been compared to Lionel Messi throughout their entire careers, in terms of their trophy hauls, goal tallies and collection of Ballon d’Or awards.

Therefore, it only feels right to mention that Ronaldo now has 10 more red cards than Messi, who has been dismissed just three times during his senior career. Two of Messi’s reds came while playing for Argentina — one on his debut in 2005 and the other during the 2019 Copa America — and the third came for Barcelona in the 2021 Spanish Super Cup.

More remarkable than how different Ronaldo’s disciplinary record is to Messi’s is how it compares to some of football’s most infamous bad boys.

For example, Ronaldo is now level with retired aggressive midfield madmen Roy Keane and Joey Barton when it comes to career red card tallies.